Two Effects from the Same Gospel
(II Cor. 2:15-16)
"For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savor of death unto death; and to the other the savor of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?" (II Corinthians 2:15-16).
There are 3 things I want to talk about this evening…first … although the gospel is "a sweet savor" in every place, it produces different effects in different people; to one it is the savor of death unto death; and to the other the savor of life. Second, that ministers of the gospel are not responsible for their success, for “we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish." And thirdly, someone who chooses to spread the gospel (whether in conversation or in preaching) it is by no means an easy task. Paul said, "Who is sufficient for these things?"
I. THE GOSPEL PRODUCES DIFFERENT EFFECTS
It is a strange thing, but it’s true, that there is almost never a good thing in the world without some evil being the consequence. The sun shines bright and beautiful in the sky…yet it melts, burns, and hardens. The clouds pour out floods of rain in the rainforests, and it causes lush vegetation to grow, the richest fruits will ripen, and all the rarest flowers will bloom, but the worst of reptiles and the most venomous snakes are also brought by that rain. So it is with the gospel. Although the word of God, when it is preached in its truth, is the very sunshine of righteousness to the world…although it is God's best gift…although nothing can be in the least comparable to the benefit which it gives to the human race, we must confess, that sometimes it is the "savor of death,” to those who will not hear it.
But we can’t blame the gospel for this…it’s not the fault of God's truth…it’s the fault of those who do not receive it. It is the "savor of life unto life" to every one that listens to it with a heart that is open. It is only "death" to the man soul that doesn’t listen to it.
So, first of all, the gospel, to some, is "a savor of death unto death." There are some souls that are hardened by their own sins when they hear the gospel. There might be some of those souls here tonight…..those who love to hear the gospel, but yet you live impure lives. There may be some of you here that would like to be able to say, “I am a child of God,” but still behave like everyone else in the world. "If any man is born of God, he knows God." "By their fruits ye shall know them." “A good tree cannot bring forth corrupt fruit; neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit." There is nothing under heaven, more able to lead souls astray like a gospel which doesn’t change the way you live. A truth that has been changed is worse than a doctrine which ALL know to be false. This is one sense in which the gospel is "a savor of death” to some.
But another thing we see is the fact that the gospel of Jesus Christ will give some souls terrible torment when this life is over. It seems too horrible a thought for us to even think - that the gospel of Christ will make someone suffer in hell. All souls would be condemned without the gospel, but at the same time the gospel condemns those that hear it and don’t obey it. Why?
First, the gospel will be condemnation to them that don’t obey because by not obeying it….we sin against the light. The gospel comes like a light from heaven because it is the word of God. If you were lost in the darkness of a cave…would you turn away from the light and walk back into darkness? NO! You’d walk toward the light! If a person is stumbling in the dark and falls down…we can pity them. BUT if a person, with the light Christ shining brightly before him runs away and loses his own soul, isn’t pity out of the question?
But the gospel also causes condemnation, unless we find Jesus Christ to be our Savior. Imagine having the light, and choosing not to walk by it. It will be your own fault for rejecting the light. To have the light and not to walk by it, THAT is the very essence of condemnation. The Bible explains it like this: "light came into the world, and the darkness comprehended it not;" for "men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil." This is a very solemn view of the gospel, that it can be "a taste of death” to those who choose to reject it.
But a third reason why the gospel is a “savor of death” is that the gospel makes some souls in this world miserable. How happy everybody would be if they were told that sin wasn’t bad. They could steal, and not be told it was wrong, they could cuss and no one would be there to say, “That’s not very Christ like.” No one could say, "The wages of sin is death, and after death the judgment!" But the truth of the gospel puts a little something bitter in the cup of the world. At the thought of a future state of condemnation…a sinner’s joy is spoiled. A soul knows that there is something higher to answer to than just itself. It is truly a terrible thought that the gospel is "a taste of death!" I hope there is no one here that thinks life would be better without the truth.
But, thanks be God, the gospel has a second power. Besides being "a savor of death” to those who refuse it….it is "a savor of life" for those of us who have obeyed it. Most of us here can easily talk about how the gospel is "the taste of life." We can look back to the hours of our lives when we were "dead in our trespasses and sin." We can look back with joy to that hour when we stepped into the walls of a church house and heard the voice of mercy. Maybe with some of you it’s not been so long ago that your sins were washed away and you were a new creature, pure and white as snow. Maybe a few weeks or months ago you were far from God, but now you love him. You look back to that very moment when the gospel was given to you, and remember the life that it gave you through Christ? The hour when you turned away from your sins, and turned to God's Word…nothing can be compared to it.
And if the words of this gospel have been your "savor of life," it will bring you life eternal. This gospel is a savor of life unto life. Not only does it bring life into this life….but it also promises life in the next life. Every one who has the gospel in this life will receive the bliss of the next life; for "the Lord will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."
II. THE MINISTER IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SUCCESS
I am responsible for what I preach to you….I am accountable for my life and my actions; but I am not responsible for your choice. If I preach God's word, and if there were never a soul saved, the King of heaven would say, "Well done, good and faithful Servant!" I have done what I am supposed to do. If I tell the message, and no one ever listened to it, he would say, "You have fought the good fight: receive thy crown." Look at the words Paul has just said, “We are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, as well in them that perish, as in them that are saved."
Sometimes the minister is called an ambassador of Christ (II Cor 5:20). Now, what is an ambassador responsible for? AN ambassador goes to a country as a messenger; he carries terms of peace to others; he uses all his talents for his master; he tries to show that war is devastating to the prosperity of the different countries; he endeavors to bring about peace. What if the ambassador fails? When he comes home his king says, "Why did not you make peace?" "Well,” the ambassador would say, "I told them the terms of peace; but they said nothing." "Well, then," he says, "you have done your duty; I can’t condemn you." The minister is an ambassador with a message, and once that message has been preached it’s up to the audience to respond.
THE minister of the gospel is also called a fisherman. Now a fisherman is not responsible for the quantity of fish he catches, but for the way he fishes. Not one of you fishermen here can promise me that when you go out fishing, you’ll catch a 75 pound catfish. You might catch one like Mike did, but to say that I can promise you that is another thing. A fisherman cannot be held responsible for the fish not bitin. That is a mercy, because there are sometimes that ministers However, if we cast the gospel net in the right place, even if we catch nothing, the Master will find no fault with us… He will say, "Fisherman! did you labor? Did you throw the net in the time of storms and in times of peace?"…. "Yes, my Lord, I did.",…… "What did you catch?" "Only one or two." ……“It is not your fault; you have labored, here is your reward."
Sometimes the minister is called a sower. Now, no one can expect a farmer to be responsible for the harvest coming in every year. All the farmer is responsible for is sowing the seed. That’s the question : Did he sow the seed? Did he sow the right seed? If he scatters it on good soil….he has still sowed it…..if he scatters it on the way-side soil, and the fowls of the air devour it, he has stilled sowed it! Who can blame the sower? Could he help it? NO...He did his duty; he scattered the seed and he left it there. Who is to blame? Certainly not the sower. Even if a minister comes to heaven with but one single soul on his shoulder, his Master will say, You have sown the seed of kingdom. If we do what we can with all our heart as ministers.,…even if we never see any effect, we still will receive the crown.(and I’m not the only minister in this room, we all are) It is always a great thought to think, that when I enter heaven someday, I would see heaven's gates open, and there I am led to someone I don’t know….and they grab my hand and say, "I heard the word of God from you….you were the one who told me of my sin; and here I am, and you are the instrument of my salvation." And as the gates open one after another, they would come in; souls ransomed, souls ransomed by the word of God; Blessed be those who dies in the Lord, for their works shall follow them (Rev 14:13)
What will become of the good Christians here at Union Hill, if crowns in heaven were to be measured by the souls that you were instrumental in saving? Would some of you have a crown in heaven without a single star in it? I read a little while ago in an article, a piece called “the starless crown in heaven” - a man in heaven has a crown without a star! Not one soul was saved by him! Mothers! to be in heaven without one of your children to be a star in your crown? Ministers! what would it be like to be a polished preacher and have no star? Writers! Can you write the most glorious of novels and poetry, and be well to be found in heaven without a star? I am afraid we pay too little regard to this. Men will sit down and write huge books, so that they can be put in libraries for ever, and have their names handed down through history…but how few are looking to win stars for ever in heaven! Will there be any stars in your crown? Toil on, labor on; and if you labor all day and not one soul comes to the message, remember the minister is not responsible for his success.
III. TO TELL THE GOSPEL IS SOLEMN WORK
The ministry of the gospel has often been labeled as a merchandising market. In these days men are chosen to preach at congregation based upon level of education. They are selected by other men, they are crammed with literature and theology; they are educated up to a certain point; then they are turned out in a suit and tie; and people call them ministers. I wish them all God-speed, every one of them. But “man-made” ministers are of no use. They are categorized like this: they prepare their manuscripts very carefully, then read it on the Sunday in a sweet voice, and so the people go away pleased. But that is not God's way of preaching. If so, you can buy manuscript sermon books for pretty cheap, and preach for a long time. There’s an old saying that says, “if you have never offended anyone while preaching the gospel truth, then it’s probably not the gospel truth.” This is implied by our text (there are TWO EFFECTS of the gospel.)
But you say, "What’s so difficult about spreading the gospel, and talking to your friends about Christ?" Well, it must be somewhat hard; because Paul said, "Who is sufficient for these things?" (II Cor 2:16) And first, I will tell you, it is difficult because it is so hard not to be warped and tempted by your own prejudices in preaching the word. You want to say a very stern thing (something to drive home the point); and your heart says, "In saying it like that….you kind of sound mean. Why don’t you sugar coat it a bit and then everyone’s happy. And as a minister you don’t want to displease…you don’t want to say something that will drive people away, but sometimes the truth does that! There are two effects of the gospel. One effect is that the gospel saves (it is a sweet savor), the other effect is that it condemns (because people reject the truth). All these things work on a minister heart. I am just like you, when you have the obligation to talk to your family and friends about the Lord. I have the same fears and faults. "Who is sufficient for these things?" Who is sufficient to stand up and proclaim, day after day, and week after week, "the unsearchable riches of Christ?"
Having said that, I draw the inference - to close- which is: if the gospel is "a savor of life” to some and a “savor of death” to others, then it is our duty to plead and pray for all those who preach it, and all those who hear it (which is what we’re gonna do right now)
So.stand up my friends; grab the banner of the truth yourselves, and maintain that truth in your life and voice until the last day comes. And when that day comes, and we have done our best to serve our Lord we can all shout, "Hallelujah! The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth!" Till that time, fight on. What effect has the gospel had on you? Is it life? Is it death? Do you obey or go away hardened even more? If you want to obey the gospel…believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 10), confess him as your savior (Acts 8:37), and be baptized into his death (Col 2:12). If you are not alive in Christ, he will revive you through penitence and prayer. The time is now….for there may not be another opportunity to obey. Won’t you come?